How to Set Up a Smartphone for Elderly Loved Ones

Some folks just have trouble with smartphones , sometimes due to advanced age or inexperience with tech, but you can make phone life easier for older people with a few tweaks. These tips for setting up a smartphone for the elderly will help you get an iPhone or Android phone ready for your parents or grandparents to use safely. Everyone is different, so pick the tips that seem relevant and helpful for your loved one. Updated December 2025: We've added a section on choosing a phone, refreshed the copy to reflect the latest operating systems, and added new screenshots to illustrate. Choosing a Phone While there are specialist “senior phones” on the market, most folks will be better served by a regular iPhone or Android phone with a few modifications. You probably have an old one in a drawer you can repurpose. If they need a new one, check out our buying guides , including Best iPhones , Best Android Phones , Best Cheap Phones , and Best Phones With a Headphone Jack . The tips below were verified on an iPhone 16 and a Pixel 10 Pro XL. If you are setting up a different phone (especially an alternative Android phone), the settings may differ slightly. Set Up the Lock Screen It may be tempting not to apply lock screen security, but you should. Ideally, the phone has a fingerprint sensor or face unlock, and you can run through the process and make sure that they’re comfortable with how it works. Otherwise, you will have to set up a PIN, password, or pattern unlock that they can remember. On an Android phone: Go to Settings , Security and privacy , Device unlock , and Screen lock . On an iPhone: Go to Settings , then Face ID & Passcode or Touch ID & Passcode . Tidy Up the Home Screen Keep things simple on the home screen. The fewer icons, the better. Clear away and uninstall anything they won’t use regularly. Take some time to customize their iPhone or Android phone so it fits their needs. On an Android phone: Tap and hold on an icon, then drag it away to the Uninstall or Remove wording, usually at the top of the screen. On an iPhone: Tap and hold on the home screen until the icons wiggle, then drag them around to rearrange or tap the X to uninstall them. Add Shortcuts for Useful Tasks or Apps One of the best things you can do is place shortcuts on the home screen to make it easier for them to call or message their closest contacts with a single tap. On an Android phone: Tap and hold on the home screen and select Widgets , choose the Browse tab, then scroll down to Contacts , choose Direct dial , and select a contact. You can place the shortcut anywhere on the home screen, and they can call that person simply by tapping it. You can add Direct message shortcuts in...

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